Martyn Ashton of Road Bike Party Hurt

When I was in the hospital in 2005 (ironically for a spinal injury) I remember reading in a magazine that he had broken his back doing a backflip. I wonder how that plays into his current injury?

Healing vibes.

There is a big difference between compression fractures and dislocated vertebrae.
Compression fractures are not that big of a deal. I had five (T1-T5). Two months off work. Some physical therapy and a lifetime of chiropractor appointments. Essentially a compression fracture occurs from a sudden overload on the spinal column. The vertebrae fracture similar to a piece of chalk that is compressed vertically. Damage to the spinal column is rare and unlikely.
Dislocated vertebrae are bad news. Major nerve damage to the spinal column. It's highly likely he may never walk again, let alone ride a bike.

There is a big difference between compression fractures and dislocated vertebrae.
Compression fractures are not that big of a deal. I had five (T1-T5). Two months off work. Some physical therapy and a lifetime of chiropractor appointments. Essentially a compression fracture occurs from a sudden overload on the spinal column. The vertebrae fracture similar to a piece of chalk that is compressed vertically. Damage to the spinal column is rare and unlikely.
Dislocated vertebrae are bad news. Major nerve damage to the spinal column. It's highly likely he may never walk again, let alone ride a bike.

I had a compression fracture on my C6 vertebra and suffered C5 and C7 nerve damage. Initially I had widespread paralysis and numbness that fortunately turned out to be temporary. However, it took me a long time to get most of my feeling back and 8 years later, I still feel residual effects. So to say that compression fractures are "not that big of a deal" is really a load of nonsense. ANY spinal injury is a big deal. And injuring an area that has previously suffered major injuries complicates the problem more.

Reading about Martyn Ashton's injury helped me get through a pretty miserable time in my life. I hope he's able to recover this time too.